Amp/Preamp combo for Wilson Sophia 3's

Wilson with Boulder is well controlled. But there is no emotion in the overwhole sound. I auditoned this many times at shows. I would not even want this sound for free. At the end audio is about music. Wenn a system cannot play the sound instruments should have, you never will enjoy this system for a longer period. You need to be thriled al the time you listen to your beloved music. It is not only sound what makes listening to music special. To create an intimate sound like in real you will go to an addictive level of hearing your music. Because you will get closer to the music. There will be a lot more emotion.

Bo1972, the JBLs are capable of very good depth. The problem is not the crossover but how the amplifier drives the speaker. Higher efficiency speakers also have a lot of back EMF, which can mess with amplifiers that employ a lot of negative feedback and also have a low output impedance. The speaker does not need a lot of power; but the power that it does get has to have some finesse.

I see. Thanks for the info!

bo1972, if boulder is so lacking, what SS amps are suitable for your listening standards? (i found the pass XA series lacking control, though they did sound pretty good).

I would choose for the X series and not for the XA series. I will do personal a next upgrade to the X600.5 as well. I prefer drive and speed as well. The difference between Boulder and Pass labs is more than only the sound. The Pass Labs gives a different focus on the different instruments. You hear more easy the difference in the sound of all these instruments. With the boulder it is extremly well controlled, but you miss the different coulor of instruments. Sound realism is a very important part in the world of highend.